Read Online Like Jake and Me by Mavis Jukes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mavis Jukes
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spiders, but I wouldn’t have let that one into my coat. That’s the biggest, hairiest wolf spider I’ve ever seen.”
Jake froze. “Wolf spider! Where?”
“In your coat getting warm,” said Alex.
Jake stared at Alex. “What wolf spider?”
“The one we were talking about, with the babies!” said Alex. “And the furry legs.”
“Wolf spider!” Jake moaned. “I thought we were talkingabout Virginia!” He was holding his shoulders up around his ears.
“You never told me you were scared of spiders,” said Alex.
“You never asked me,” said Jake in a high voice. “Help!”
“How?” asked Alex.
“Get my jacket off!”
Alex took hold of Jake’s jacket sleeve as Jake eased his arm out. Cautiously, Alex took the jacket from Jake’s shoulders. Alex looked in the coat.
“No spider, Jake,” said Alex. “I think she went into your shirt.”
“My shirt?” asked Jake. “You think?”
“Maybe,” said Alex.
Jake gasped. “Inside? I hope not!”
“Feel anything furry crawling on you?” asked Alex.
“Anything
furry
crawling on me?” Jake shuddered. “No!”
“Try to get your shirt off without squashing her,” said Alex. “Remember, we don’t want to hurt her. She’s a mama.”
“With babies,” added Jake.
“Eek!”
“And,” said Alex, “she’ll bite!”
“Bite? Yes, I know!” said Jake. “Come out on the porch and help me! I don’t want her to get loose in the house!”
Jake walked stiffly to the door. Alex opened it. They walked out onto the porch. The sky was thick gray and salmon colored, with blue windows through the clouds.
“Feel anything?” asked Alex.
“Something …, ” said Jake. He unsnapped the snaps on his sleeves, then the ones down the front. He opened his shirt. On his chest was a tattoo of an eagle that was either taking off or landing. He let the shirt drop to the floor.
“No spider, back or front,” reported Alex.
They shook out the shirt.
“Maybe your jeans,” said Alex.
“Maybe she got into your jeans!”
“Not my
jeans!”
said Jake. He quickly undid his rodeo belt.
“Your boots!” said Alex. “First you have to take off your boots!”
“Right!” said Jake. He sat down on the boards. Each boot had a yellow rose and the name
Jake
stitched on the side. “Could you help?” he asked.
“Okay,” said Alex. He grappled with one boot and got it off. He checked it. He pulled off and checked the sock. No spider. He tugged on the other boot.
“You’ve got to pull harder,” said Jake, as Alex pulled and struggled. “Harder!”
The boot came off and smacked Alex in the mouth. “Ouch!” Alex put his tongue in the gap. “Knocked my tooth out!” He looked in the boot. “It’s in the boot!”
“Yikes!” said Jake.
“Not the spider,” said Alex. “My tooth.” He rolled it out of the boot and into his hand to examine it.
“Dang,” said Jake. “Then hurry up.” Alex dropped the tooth back into the boot. Jake climbed out of his jeans and looked down each leg. He hopped on one foot to get the other sock off.
“She won’t be in your sock,” said Alex. “But maybe—”
“Don’t tell me,” said Jake. “Not my shorts!”
Alex stared at Jake’s shorts. There were pictures of mallard ducks on them. “Your shorts,” said Alex.
“I’m afraid to look,” said Jake. He thought he felt something creeping just below his belly button.
“Someone’s coming!” said Alex. “Quick! Give me your hat! I’ll hold it up and you can stand behind it.”
“Help!” said Jake in a small voice. He gave Alex the hat and quickly stepped out of his shorts. He brushed himself off in the front.
“Okay in the back,” said Alex, peering over the brim of the hat.
Jake turned his shorts inside out, then right side in again. No spider. When he bent over to put them on, he backed into his hat, and the raven feather poked him. Jake howled and jumped up and spun around in midair.
“I didn’t know you could do
Jake froze. “Wolf spider! Where?”
“In your coat getting warm,” said Alex.
Jake stared at Alex. “What wolf spider?”
“The one we were talking about, with the babies!” said Alex. “And the furry legs.”
“Wolf spider!” Jake moaned. “I thought we were talkingabout Virginia!” He was holding his shoulders up around his ears.
“You never told me you were scared of spiders,” said Alex.
“You never asked me,” said Jake in a high voice. “Help!”
“How?” asked Alex.
“Get my jacket off!”
Alex took hold of Jake’s jacket sleeve as Jake eased his arm out. Cautiously, Alex took the jacket from Jake’s shoulders. Alex looked in the coat.
“No spider, Jake,” said Alex. “I think she went into your shirt.”
“My shirt?” asked Jake. “You think?”
“Maybe,” said Alex.
Jake gasped. “Inside? I hope not!”
“Feel anything furry crawling on you?” asked Alex.
“Anything
furry
crawling on me?” Jake shuddered. “No!”
“Try to get your shirt off without squashing her,” said Alex. “Remember, we don’t want to hurt her. She’s a mama.”
“With babies,” added Jake.
“Eek!”
“And,” said Alex, “she’ll bite!”
“Bite? Yes, I know!” said Jake. “Come out on the porch and help me! I don’t want her to get loose in the house!”
Jake walked stiffly to the door. Alex opened it. They walked out onto the porch. The sky was thick gray and salmon colored, with blue windows through the clouds.
“Feel anything?” asked Alex.
“Something …, ” said Jake. He unsnapped the snaps on his sleeves, then the ones down the front. He opened his shirt. On his chest was a tattoo of an eagle that was either taking off or landing. He let the shirt drop to the floor.
“No spider, back or front,” reported Alex.
They shook out the shirt.
“Maybe your jeans,” said Alex.
“Maybe she got into your jeans!”
“Not my
jeans!”
said Jake. He quickly undid his rodeo belt.
“Your boots!” said Alex. “First you have to take off your boots!”
“Right!” said Jake. He sat down on the boards. Each boot had a yellow rose and the name
Jake
stitched on the side. “Could you help?” he asked.
“Okay,” said Alex. He grappled with one boot and got it off. He checked it. He pulled off and checked the sock. No spider. He tugged on the other boot.
“You’ve got to pull harder,” said Jake, as Alex pulled and struggled. “Harder!”
The boot came off and smacked Alex in the mouth. “Ouch!” Alex put his tongue in the gap. “Knocked my tooth out!” He looked in the boot. “It’s in the boot!”
“Yikes!” said Jake.
“Not the spider,” said Alex. “My tooth.” He rolled it out of the boot and into his hand to examine it.
“Dang,” said Jake. “Then hurry up.” Alex dropped the tooth back into the boot. Jake climbed out of his jeans and looked down each leg. He hopped on one foot to get the other sock off.
“She won’t be in your sock,” said Alex. “But maybe—”
“Don’t tell me,” said Jake. “Not my shorts!”
Alex stared at Jake’s shorts. There were pictures of mallard ducks on them. “Your shorts,” said Alex.
“I’m afraid to look,” said Jake. He thought he felt something creeping just below his belly button.
“Someone’s coming!” said Alex. “Quick! Give me your hat! I’ll hold it up and you can stand behind it.”
“Help!” said Jake in a small voice. He gave Alex the hat and quickly stepped out of his shorts. He brushed himself off in the front.
“Okay in the back,” said Alex, peering over the brim of the hat.
Jake turned his shorts inside out, then right side in again. No spider. When he bent over to put them on, he backed into his hat, and the raven feather poked him. Jake howled and jumped up and spun around in midair.
“I didn’t know you could do
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